Driving Sustainability, Equity and Trust into Our Supply Chain
VMware’s Responsible Sourcing Program is our call to tackle some of the world’s most complex Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) challenges by co-innovating with our trading partners. VMware’s deep-rooted connection to ESG is outlined in our 2030 Agenda, and our Responsible Sourcing Program helps bring that ESG vision to life.
Purchasing Decisions Matter
At VMware, we are inspired and driven by our people and culture every day. We prioritize diverse perspectives and enable inclusive participation in our business operations. It’s not just the right thing to do, it is also key to our ability to innovate. To truly value our people, we must also value the environments in which they live, so they can thrive. This includes access to clear air, water and greenspaces, with minimized trash, pollution and carbon impacts.
To that end, we are asking our suppliers to join us in taking responsibility for our impact to the Earth and those that inhabit it. Together, we can create a wave of change and create a better world to live in. This is a journey, and we can’t wait for you to join us.
VMware Responsible Sourcing is a core piece of our procurement strategy and prioritizes spend with suppliers that are aligned to our 2030 Agenda, focusing on three pillars:
We have the unique opportunity to impact diversity and inclusion, social justice, and climate change and align to our 2030 Agenda for the betterment of our communities. We will partner with our stakeholders in this journey.
— Vipul Chitalia, Vice President, Sourcing & Operations
How to Get Involved
A top priority for VMware Responsible Sourcing is to assess the ESG practices of our supply base. To do so, we have partnered with a leading ESG analysis firm, EcoVadis. We require all suppliers with material spend to complete an assessment annually, and we will review the results and metrics to identify risks in our supply chain. We will partner work with our suppliers on corrective action plans to drive improvement.
Show us how you prioritize ESG and take the EcoVadis assessment here.
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Environmental Social Governance
VMware is building a more sustainable, equitable and secure future by integrating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals across the company and aligning them with our core business strategy.
FY22 DEI Annual Report
Our 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) report, and our 2030 Agenda, are a reflection of where we are today and the concrete actions we’re taking to embed DEI into everything we do.
Supplier Code of Conduct
VMware has a robust Supplier Code of Conduct. Please visit our Procure to Pay site, where it can be opened in multiple languages.
Ask Questions or Get Involved
Still Have Questions? We Have Answers
Email us at responsiblesourcing@vmware.com to learn more about how you can participate.
Are You a Diverse Supplier? Work with Us!
If you are certified as a diverse supplier, learn more about how you can partner with us.
Engaging Suppliers for a More Sustainable Future
ESG and sustainability are core to VMware’s values and future success. Our suppliers represent a significant portion of our ESG impact, with 73% of our 2021 emissions coming from our supply chain. We are uncovering the impacts and risks in our sourcing choices, and driving improvement where needed. Our goal is to increase transparency and awareness, so we can reduce our emissions.
Decarbonizing Our Supply Chain
VMware set science-based targets which were validated by the Science-based Target Initiative in 2020 to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. As part of our 1.5-degree Celsius science-based target, VMware is working with suppliers so that 75% of our suppliers (by spend) will set their own science-based targets by the end of FY25.
While ambitious, this collaborative approach to decarbonization and target setting is necessary to address the effects of climate change that all companies must face. VMware Responsible Sourcing can help you embrace your ability to accelerate us all toward a more sustainable future.
We Are Committed to Transparency.
so How Are We Doing So Far?
(Results include through Q4, FY23)
See What We’re Working on
What Are Science-Based Targets?
Science-based targets are goals companies set to reduce their emissions and are validated by the Science-based Target Initiative. You can learn more about the Science-based Target Initiative and how they validate targets here.
Supplier Enablement
We have developed an engagement framework to help educate and enable our suppliers to take action on carbon reduction, to help meet our SBT goal.
Ensuring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with Suppliers
VMware recognizes that social injustice and systemic inequity are very real problems in the world today. We will contribute to long-term economic growth and equity in the communities where we live, work and play.
To accomplish this, we’ve established a global supplier diversity program and are committed to continually learning, listening and improving our efforts to source goods and services from diverse businesses. Our global supplier diversity program includes the following activities:
- Committing to spend a cumulative $1.5B with diverse suppliers, as part of our 2030 Agenda.
- Driving employee education and engagement, and dispelling myths about diverse businesses.
- Engaging with national and international diversity councils.
- Recognizing internal champions who embrace diverse suppliers in their business areas.
- Working with suppliers on their certification options.
We Are Committed to Transparency.
So How Are We Doing So Far?
Supplier Diversity at VMware
How to Become a Diverse Supplier
Find out if your business meets our criteria to be a diverse supplier.
You must also have 3rd party certification from a local, state or federal government entity, chamber of commerce or council. We do not accept lapsed or in-progress certifications.
How VMware Counts Diverse Spend
To have a meaningful DEI impact, supplier diversity must go beyond meeting contractual requirements and shift to a business strategy.
We’re taking a conservative approach to counting spend with diverse suppliers and count all spend:
- That is directly with diverse suppliers
- Where diverse suppliers are subcontracted to directly deliver to VMware
We do not count all of our suppliers’ diverse spend as our own, only Tier-2 direct.
Council Memberships
We Want to Work with You!
Whether you are a diverse business who can support VMware or a large business who can work with us on Tier-2 direct opportunities, please get in touch. We’d love to learn more about your products and services, so we can drive innovation together.
Prioritizing Digital and Physical Accessibility
VMware is a leading software company, and one of our 2030 Agenda goals is to ensure the technology we develop is accessible for all.
As part of our Responsible Sourcing Program, we are committed to procuring technology and tools as well as hosting meetings and events that are accessible for all our stakeholders. In coordination with the Disability@VMware POD, an employee resource group dedicated to supporting VMware employees with disabilities, we created VMware Accessibility Guidelines to ensure that we assess all new events and software suppliers for accessibility considerations as part of their onboarding process.
Our Partnership with Disability:IN
VMware is a corporate partner for Disability:IN, which works with businesses to help ensure disability inclusion and equality is present in their organization. With guidance from Disability:IN, VMware Responsible Sourcing has given our Sourcing & Operations team the tools and training to improve any accessibility issues in our supply chain.
What Are VMware’s Accessibility Standards?
VMware’s Accessibility Guidelines are rooted in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) a global, industry-wide standard for software tools and platforms. We require our suppliers to meet the 2.1 Level AA standards or better. All our new software suppliers must meet this minimum threshold, and if they do not, we implement contract language to drive improvement. For event suppliers, we ask that you work with our events team to ensure accessibility to all and can reasonably accommodate requests to allow someone with a disability to participate in an event.
I’m Not a Software or Events Supplier. How Can I Help?
It’s great to hear that you want to help in this area! VMware admires those who are willing to go above and beyond. A great starting point would be to ensure your products are accessible by all users, and to ensure your offices, website and collaboration tools are as well. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us. We’ve gone through this process and would love to work with our suppliers on improving their own efforts.
Decarbonizing Our Supply Chain
In 2020, VMware set a 1.5-degree Celsius aligned science-based target, committing to reduce our emissions in line with the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. As part of that goal, we are committed to working with our suppliers so that 75% of suppliers (by spend) will set their own science-based targets by the end of FY25.
Stakeholders, customers and employees around the globe are interested in what companies are doing to reduce carbon emissions. We ask that our suppliers join us and contribute to the climate solution. We also recognize the significance of this request, and respect that many people will not know where to start. In fact, this is a journey that will likely take 2 years or more. We are here to help guide you.
To help you make these changes and build your own goals, we’ve created an enablement program that provides you with a roadmap and list of tools you’ll need to succeed. We can’t do this for you, but we can point you in the right direction and help along the way.
Supplier Sustainability Education
Supplier Sustainability Education
Process Overview
If you are new to corporate sustainability, then this training series is for you. VMware has set ambitious goals for our suppliers, and we are here to help guide you.
Build a Business Case
In this module, you’ll learn:
- What is sustainability
- Business case for corporate climate action
- Stakeholder interest in sustainability
- Financial, Workforce and Customer stories
Engage Your Team
In this module, you’ll learn:
- Best practices for leading a sustainability initiative
- Understand the scope and structure of a sustainability team
- Engaging your employees
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
In this module, you’ll learn:
- What is a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory
- Sources of GHG emissions
- Data sources and reporting your results
Building Capacity
In this module, you’ll learn:
- How to lay a foundation for sustainability in your company
- Find a leadership champion and build cross-departmental support
- Develop sharable plans
Science-Based Target Setting
In this module, you’ll learn:
- Intro to Science-based targets (SBT’s)
- Process for setting SBT’s
- Target setting and review process.
